Padres Series Recap vs. Milwaukee Brewers

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Aug 27, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres catcher Rene Rivera (44) hits a game tying home run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the ninth inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Series Overview

The series got off to about the worst start possible. The Brewers (73-60) put a beating on the Padres (62-70) in Monday’s opener, taking the first game of the series 10-1. The Friars then battled back to win the series two games to one. This was mainly due to stellar pitching and timely hitting. The Padres have now won a series against every single National League Central team. The Padres have great momentum from this series win.

The Padres hit .257 in the three-game series, as well as 5-for-30 with runners in scoring position, a .167 average. That stat does not indicate the key hitting the Padres got in their two wins. It was hard to select on offensive player of the series but the nod goes to Rene Rivera for his clutch performance in Wednesday’s finale. He hit a game-tying home run in the 9th and then capped it off with a walk-off single up the middle to score fellow catcher Yasmani Grandal. Grandal did not have a bad series himself, collecting 4 hits with an RBI and run scored. Abraham Almonte also had a good series, hitting a home run and driving in 2 runs with 3 hits.

Aug 25, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Ryan Braun (8) hits a solo home run during the third inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Game 1 L, 10-1

Everything went wrong for the Padres in Monday’s 10-1 slaughter. Eric Stults had his worst start of the second half, allowing 4 runs and walking 3 in 5 innings. The bullpen came in to try to stop the bleeding but to no avail. Blaine Boyer was also tagged for 4 runs in just under two innings. Alex Torres also struggled, allowing another two runs. All 10 Brewers runs were earned and the Padres staff also walked a total of six.

Aramis Ramirez and Ryan Braun both had big nights, each with 3 hits and a home run. Ramirez drove in 3 runs total. The Brewers racked up 16 hits, 6 of them of the extra-base variety. Six different Brewers drove in a run and they also scored in 6 of the 9 innings.

The Padres did not help themselves by having some questionable plays on the base paths. Will Venable and Seth Smith were picked off in innings that could have produced multiple runs but their blunders killed the rally. The lone bright spot in this game was that of Alexi Amarista. He had two hits, including an RBI triple.

Jul 29, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Tyson Ross (38) pitches during the third inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Game 2 W, 4-1

The Friars bounced back on Tuesday behind the 13th consecutive quality start by Tyson Ross. He went 6.1 innings, struck out 6 and only allowed one run on 4 hits, earning his 12th win. He also added a double and a run scored for himself. Almonte got the scoring started with his third home run of the year in the first. He then added an RBI single in the third to give the Padres an early 2-0 lead. Grandal extended the Padre lead with a single, scoring Almonte and making it 3-0. The Padres made it 4-0 before the 4th inning when Jedd Gyorko drove in a run on a ground ball up the middle.

Brewers infielder Scooter Gennett doubled in the Brewers only run in the 4th and the score stayed 4-1 from there. Ross and the Padres bullpen took over and shut down the powerful Milwaukee offense. Nick Vincent and Kevin Quackenbush set the table for Joaquin Benoit’s 9th save by throwing 1.2 scoreless innings and only allowing 1 hit. The same culprits (Braun and Ramirez) who made life miserable for San Diego in Game 1 went a combined 0-for-8 with 3 strikeouts in Tuesday’s game.

Aug 27, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres second baseman Jedd Gyorko (right) scores on a single by pinch hitter Jake Goebbert (not pictured) as Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy (20) gets the throw during the seventh inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Game 3 W, 3-2 (10)

Wednesday’s 3-2 extra-innings win was one to behold. It was Rene Rivera night. First, he allowed the Brewers to take a 2-0 lead on a passed ball in the 7th. He then went on to tie the game in the 9th with a home run over the left field wall. Yasmani Grandal set up the 10th by getting on base. Rivera knocked a single up the middle to break a 2-2 tie in the 10th and walked it off, sending the Padres to victory. The home run was Rivera’s first at Petco Park as a Padre.

Yovanni Gallardo pitched very well, pitching 6 scoreless innings and allowing only 3 hits. The comeback would not have been possible had it not been for Jake Goebbert’s clutch two-out single in the 7th to score Gyorko to cut the Brewers lead to one. The Padres amassed 11 hits but stranded 11 as well. They were 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position. The Padres also helped themselves to 6 walks.

Odrisamer Despaigne bounced back nicely after a few rough starts. He threw 7 solid innings, striking out a career high 9 and only allowing one earned run. Vincent and Quackenbush once again set up the Padres for success late in the game.

Aug 27, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres catcher Rene Rivera (second from right) is mobbed by teammates after hitting a game winning walk-off RBI single in the tenth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers to beat the Brewers 3-2 at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Where They Stand

This series win should give the Padres great momentum heading into the weekend and into the final month of the season. Finishing strong and building momentum into 2015 should be the montra of the Padres for the remainder of the season. They have to feel good about coming out with a win against a tough team that most think can go far in October. The Brewers have been in first place most of this season and possess one of the most feared lineups in the National League. The Padres kept their mighty bats quiet in the last two games of the series.

Padres Fight Back, Win Series

Schedule